Bouncy castle - start up

[Frenchsalesadministrator]

Hi

Do you have a bouncy castle hire business?

If so, I will be happy to hear from you and how you started.

Thanks

 

[Paulsou]

I am just about to set up a bouncy castle business aswell, I am buying a starter kit from andy j castles for 1300 plus vat which is 2 castles fans etc, everything you need to get started, then I will be joining bouncy castle network and getting a website with online booking system, it's a gamble but my wife works in nursery & they given me bookins already! Plus I have grandchildren at school so there is custom there! I guess it depends on how much time you want to comit?

 

[Frenchsalesadministrator]

Hi Paul,

Thanks.
I have done my research and I have heard of Andy J Castles. I guess you are going for the Deal 2.
I wasn't keen on it because it's open air and they don't sell rain cover to protect castle when there is very light shower. I may go for deal 3.
My issue is it's a big investment and I am not sure when I will see the return and make a profit when I will only be able to do it during weekends. Is it worth it?

I live in Birmingham where there are many people doing it already. Some people say there is more demand than the offer, I don't know if it still applies and if it does in Birmingham.

Paul, are you doing that on your own or will you have someone to help you set up the castles? I have heard some castles are quite heavy and require 2 men.

 

[Paulsou]

I will set up on own to start with but when I buy more and bigger castles I will have the assistance of my wife to pack castles away. I have gone to deal 2 in the packages to keep the initial cost down but will buy some arch castles with rain covers once bookings start coming in, the castles I have gone for are ideal for inside aswell, the arch castles are taller! I think as long as yu get the bookings yu can get the return, remembering you will have cost of advertising and your insurance!

 

[Paulsou]

How far have you got with setting up your bouncy castle business?

 

[businessfunding]

I suggest before you decide on suppliers or deals that you do a lot of research into the size of the market, price points, motivators and, of course, seasonality.

Truth is, there is probably excess demand for a relatively short part of the year - can you make enough in that time? What is demand during the winter months?

Sit own and star planning before you bounce in..

 

[Vectis]

You say you've done your research and that there are many people in your area already doing this. Do you see that as a positive or that there may be too many people in the marketplace already?

There must be a finite number of potential bouncy castle bookings in any one area?

 

[Berkshire Business]

I agree, I think before you jump into anything you should research more into how many bouncy castle hires there are in your area, also have in min the weather as its very unpredictable this year.

- Good luck.

 

[BouncyCastleNetwork]

At the Bouncy Castle Network, we have just over 600 operators using our websites and booking systems and in many cases there are several in the same area.

I do agree that there are a finite number of bookings in the smaller towns but as with any business, if you have the best tools for the job and the right support, you can make the business work.

When a BCN member joins our service, we provide them with a brand, a website and a booking system. The client’s website is built to all modern standards and is naturally search engine friendly. The site is then submitted into our national hirer's directory as part of the service and a whole host of marketing tools and advice is made available to them.

On average our members see an increase of 60% in online bookings, and those operators that are active in marketing their businesses see further improvements still.

If you do online searches for a bouncy castle hirer's in the UK, in almost every returned result, you will find a member of the bouncy Castle Network on the page, in some areas - several.

We can even advise you on where to get the best deals on castles, and in many cases - as a BCN member you will be eligible for discounts with the majority of the UK manufacturers.

It’s a complete service for Bouncy Castle Hirers and will give any new hirer the best chance of success.

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

How much is membership to BCN?

 

[Talay]

Village fêtes are a great money earner but a lot suffer from historic abuse by pikeys who used to have this market all to themselves. Yet the resident committee selects them each year and they turn up and rip off the visitors in much the same way, time after time.

My estimates for a day at a larger fête could produce a gross over £1000 for 2 or 3 inflatables. Of course you have costs and pitch rents (usually quite low) to take out to get a profit figure.

However, 10 fêtes at a grand a time is a lot better than 100 plus individual hires.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Dont forget you can also have full time summer listings on some beaches and other large area's where children play and sports meetings

 

[salford1986]

just start slowly and build yourself up!

 

[MikeJ]

Nice of you to drag up a post from almost a year ago for that bit of advice.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Maybe they have been bouncing the idea around for a while?

 

[Chris Ashdown]

t does make you wonder how they got on, so often we only hear the start of a situation and never hear the final story

 

[MikeJ]

Probably struggling given inflation is so weak at the moment.

 

[AllUpHere]

Probably struggling given inflation is so weak at the moment.

I'm sure they'll bounce back.

Sorry, that was terrible.

 

[Dan Izzard]

Might give them an email, see if they'd like to update the thread, or if they're going to leave us all up in the air

 

[Frenchsalesadministrator]

As some of you are interested for an update,the idea bounced off my head and went in the bin.
It was mainly due to lack of funds to start and other commitments.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Deflated i guess

 

[simon field]

What a let-down.